ROMANO-BRITISH LEICESTERSHIRE 



about 4 ft. from the surface. The pattern was geometrical, the inner tesserae being in. square, 

 the outer ones double that size. It was thought to be of late date, about the beginning of the 

 fourth century, and probably the atrium of a Roman villa. The materials used were whin- 

 stone (blue), brick (red), oolitic stone (drab), and composition (white) on a bed of ordinary 

 mortar about 2 in. thick, laid on the ground, which gave no indication of being otherwise 

 disturbed. The pavement showed signs of having been destroyed by fire. Numerous coins, 

 bones, pieces of pottery and wall-plaster, and a stone quern were also discovered. Silver coins 

 of Vespasian (A.D. 70-79), Domitian (A.D. 81-96), Antoninus (A.D. 138-61), Honorius 

 (A.D. 395-423), and Arcadius (A.D. 395-408) were identified [Leic. Arch. Soc. i, 209 ; v, 70, 1 70 ; 

 vi, 42 ; Assoc. Arch. Soc. xiv, Ixii ; Leic. and Rut 1. N. and Q. ii, 209 ; Proc. Soc. Antiq. (Ser. 2), vii, 

 196, 197, 315]. Between Medbourne and Port Hill, a few hundred yards to the west of the 

 village, were three tumuli. Two of these have been removed, the third is now surmounted by 

 a mill [post, ' Ancient Earthworks ' ; Leic. Arch. Soc. v, 70]. Coins have also been found in 

 other parts of the village. A small silver one of Arcadius, found on the Gartree Road 

 (A.D. 395-408) [Leic. Arch. Soc. ii, 290], a coin of Constantine (A.D. 306-37), found at 

 Ashley on the Medbourne boundary [Leic. Arch. Soc. vi, 42], and two third brass Consular 

 coins, found near the Manor House [Leic. Arch. Soc. i, 295]. 



MELTON MOWBRAY. Near Melton Mowbray, in 1863, a gold coin of Valentinianus I (A.D. 

 364-75), and two brass coins, the larger of Allectus (A.D. 293-96), the smaller undecipherable, 

 were discovered [Leic. Arch. Soc. ii, 185]. Two gold coins of Valens (A.D. 364-78) were 

 also found in the neighbourhood in good preservation [Leic. Arch. Soc. ii, 207 ; O.S. xx, 5], 



MOIRA. The remains of a paved roadway, thought to be Roman, were discovered here [Reliq. 

 ii, 209]. 



MOUNTSORREL. In June, 1881, in clearing away soil to find granite, a Roman sepulchral chamber, 

 about I ft. below the surface, was unearthed. It was nearly a parallelogram in shape, fhe 

 largest side being 8 ft. 3 in., the shorter side 7 ft., the ends 3 ft. 7 in. and 2 ft. 7 in. The walls 

 averaged 4 ft. in height, and about I ft. 4 in. in thickness. They were coated inside with 

 plaster from I in. to 2^ in. thick, divided into panels of unequal size by bands of red 2 in. wide, 

 with a dado of the same colour 8 in. from the ground. Within the panels a wide pattern in 

 colours could be discerned, made by brush markings in red, black, and amber. One of the 

 panels on the shorter side was ornamented with a figure resembling the letter A. 



Outside the chamber, and independent of it, about I ft. below the present surface, a band 

 of mortar, 3 in. to 7 in. thick, was to be observed. Two years before, another chamber had 

 been opened about 12 yds. away. It was of rude construction, and not plastered. The 

 floor was of rough Swithland slates, laid in clay or very bad lime concrete. Inside it were 

 found bones, probably of deer, a stag's antlers showing saw-marks, some pieces of dark pottery 

 and tiles, and fragments of coloured wall-plaster. A small iron arrow-head was also discovered 

 [Leic. Arch. Soc. v, 345]. Near this spot were found a small bronze gouge, a stone quern, 

 and some pieces of pottery [Camb. Antiq. Soc. viii, 133 ; Leic. Arch. Soc. ii, 1 06]. A well was 

 opened at Mountsorrel in 1898, containing Celtic and Roman remains ; a mass of concrete 

 with pebbles, portions of roof and flue tiles and tesserae were considered Roman ; a bronze 

 bucket and other utensils of the late Celtic period [ante, ' Early Man']. Several of these things 

 are in the Leicester Museum [Camb. Antiq. Sec. viii, 133 ; Rep. Com. Leic. Mus. 1891-1902]. 

 These remains point to the existence of a Roman villa in the neighbourhood. 



NARBOROUGH. A coin (third brass) of Antoninus (A.D. 138-61) was found near the Fosse Way 

 in 1862 [Leic. Arch. Soc. i, 82]. 



NETHER BROUGHTON. The Fosse Way passes between Upper and Nether Broughton and 

 Willoughby-on-the-Wold in Nottinghamshire, and Nichols states that many mosaic pavements 

 were found in Broughton, ' sometimes for as much as five yards together,' also pot-hooks, 

 other utensils, and a great quantity of brass coins. ' Broad stones ' and foundations were also 

 found by the side of the Fosse, Stukeley decided that this was the Roman station of Mar- 

 gidunum (on the west side of the Fofse Way), but more recent opinion has decided that 

 Verometum and Willoughby are the same [Nichols, Hist. Leic. ii, pt i, 121 ; Stukeley, I tin. 

 Cur. i, 107; Haverfield in V.C.H. IVarw. i, 243]. 



ORTON-ON-THE-HILL. Coins were found here in laying the foundations of a house at the west 

 end of the village [Nichols, Hist. Leic. iv, 852]. 



OWESTON. Pottery was discovered here, some of it said to be cinerary urns [Throsby, Views of 

 Leic. ii, 390.] 



RATBY. Five miles north-west of Leicester is a rectangular camp of single vallum and fosse, known 

 as ' Ratby Burrow,' or ' Bury ' Camp ; it lies a mile west of the village of Ratby, and occupies 

 an area of over nine acres [post, ' Ancient Earthworks ' ; Journ. Brit. Arch. Assoc. (new ser.), vii, 

 24 ; Leic. Arch. Soc. i, 62 ; Gent. Mag. 1773, p. 76]. 



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